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I always put gloves, curry, etc on my mare's back when I am working. People laugh & I say that I require a horse with a back that can be used as a table/storage shelf. The horse I grew up with was referred to as a Mack Truck. My current mare fits the same description.

I grew up with Saddlebreds, worked in a show barn as a teenager and young adult.
I've also ridden various stock type horses, most which REALLY didn't work for me, but recently I've met a couple that I didn;t mind. Many Arabian and crosses, mostly national caliber horses as my mother instructed for a major show barn in our area for a few years, but also some 4-H and open show quality stuff. They're ok for me, but the size isn't what I like.
I have no real experience with TBs so I can't speak to those.
I've been TRYING to make Friesians a fit for the past 3 years. I'm finding that they are the biggest no go of all. I've ridden/handled/shown several owned by a friend of mine, and we just aren't a mesh. I just don't like the temperament and they are physically hard to get fit, to teach to collect and use themselves well (unless you happen to have one who is naturally inclinded to it. I did get to ride one of those and it was nicer...). My experience is that there just isn't the desire to please their rider the way some breeds have... They kind of expect you to like and cater to them, not the other way around, and the mare I mainly ride just has NO retention. If she has a week off, she will backslide by MONTHS and it won't come back quickly after a refresher course, either. She will put more energy into evasions than it would take to just "work like a nice horse". She's fun to give cookies to and brush her mane and tail, but I've come to the conclusion lately that I honestly dont' enjoy riding her even a little, especially since getting a horse that does suit me really well... If not for the friends I had at the barn, I would walk away from the breed and probably never ride again if it was offered to me.

The Saddlebred suits me completely. Size, temperament, and generally being "Nice" to their riders. I'm on my third one. He's 17-2 (just right! LOL). Total greenie but he feels very safe. He's more brave than my last horse by a long shot. The last one was made into a nervous nightmare by rough early handling (drunkard trainer with huge ego plus a physically mature but mentally SO immature colt just didn't end well for my boy...) but he had a LOT of try and want to. The first horse wasn't the best quality, but she was beyond SAFE and would turn herself inside out to do what you asked. She was long backed and built downhill, but somehow could do simple lead changes (Canter,Halt,Canter, no wander, walk, or jog in between) every 2 and 3 strides! My new guy is green as grass, but safe and fun. He sat around for 2 years and still rmembers the stuff he was trained how to do. It's a breath of fresh air coming from working the Friesians, for sure. There are some physical trends I don't like in general with the breed. I don't know where along the way they lost their hind ends.... but I don't like that.... And I wish people would stop breeding horses with long, weak toplines. But... for me, this is the breed that I enjoy getting my hands on every day. The majority are gutsy and major people pleasers, responsive and prompt. People who are better suited to a lower geared horse will call them hot or spooky (I call them forward and most aren't spooky at all. They just like to see what the surroundings are) , but I will take one whose worst sin is to go forward any day over the stuff I've experienced on the Friesians I've worked.

I always put gloves, curry, etc on my mare's back when I am working. People laugh & I say that I require a horse with a back that can be used as a table/storage shelf. The horse I grew up with was referred to as a Mack Truck. My current mare fits the same description.

Some of the snakey types are really nice to look at -the Akhal Teke for example -but I wouldn't want to ride them. LOL I know exactly when this happened. I saw the Fire Mares of Krull and I was hooked. The sound their hooves make when they trot just make me smile. I guess I like that boom boom pow LOL. Hmm I guess this is starting to make a little more sense
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m48GqaOz90 ).

I think some people really don't get it, some people buy the horse rather than the breed (I knew an Appy once who was a fabulous saddleseat/EP horse - go figure), and some people (this would be me) just like the breed and aren't planning to go to the Olympics, anyway, so don't particularly care that their breed of choice won't get them there.

I event, like TBs and Arabs, and own one of each. No problems there with the (now retired) TB, but, yes, Arabs are not exactly at the top of most people's event horse lists. But I love her, I love her bloodlines (which tend more towards using-horse and less towards "look at the pretty head - wait, you mean it has legs, too??"), and she's bold as the day is long. Are we going to Rolex someday? Nope. But I wouldn't be going to Rolex no matter WHAT horse you put me on, so I don't see why that makes one bit of difference.

To me, if you are enjoying barrel racing with your Clydesdale, no one is getting hurt, and you aren't going to be disappointed when you don't make the NFR, well, why the heck NOT? I think we place too much emphasis on what the upper levels and top competitors do ("we" being those of us who are not UL or top competitors ourselves ), rather than just having a good time at our own level with the horses we love.

This is exactly how I feel about my Arab. Is he a 'traditional' breed for *anything* I enjoy doing (aside from endurance!)? Absolutely not. Does he try his little pony sized heart out at ANYTHING I ask of him? Absolutely. We foxhunt, do endurance rides, trail ride, jump, do dressage, cut cows, barrel race, etc. About the only thing he's bred for is the endurance. However, he's athletic enough that he enjoys doing anything I want him to do and always tries his best to do what I'm asking.

Will we make it to the upper levels of anything? Not likely. Do I love him to death and enjoy every minute I spend with him? Definitely!

I have a 'type' I like more than so much a breed. There are individuals in just about every breed that I have enjoyed riding and working with. I enjoy a hotter, athletic horse with a lot of 'try'. I would rather ride something that is sensitive that I have to slow down over something that I have to push to keep moving. I tend to like a horse with a more upright headset, though it doesn't necessarily have to be as upright as say an Arab or an ASB.

I have had a ton of fun riding all sorts of different horses. Appendix QHs, WBs, TBs, Arabians, Saddlebreds, draft crosses, Halfingers, fat little ponies...you name it, I will happily point it at a jump and see what happens. I am not too snotty to appreciate any equine that is willing and capable of jumping in a moderately safe manner.

I've always love appaloosas for their toughness ... I love the willingness of the OTTB as well.

My current mare is a TB/appy cross. So I like to say that she's really stubborn and never gets tired.

In a few years when it's time to horse shop again (mare is 19 - I've had her for 17 years), I've been thinking I will look at draft crosses. I'm starting to get older and it would be nice not to be riding a 'sports model' all the time.

I have a tendency to get the dull/slow horses more energized and the hot ones mellowed, so can get along with a wide variety of horses. As far as attitude the one thing I avoid at all costs is highly spooky. High energy and exuberance are a different thing and I enjoy them - but actual fear for life from every shadow and movement just exhausts me to even be near. I adore smart, don't mind stubborn, and kind of have fun with tricky personalities as long as the horse is generally happy.

Physically I like leggy and narrower builds. That's a change from my love of the much-adored stocky QHes of my childhood, and it comes in large part from the fact wide horses kill my hips. I tend to really like long hips, and very athletic horses. With dressage as my interest, I want a horse who has more talent than I do. I don't feel as if a horse will be disappointed if we don't make it past 3rd level, and I want to build a partnership which can keep going as far as my limitations let it go.

I definitely prefer a shorter back over a longer back if perfect isn't an option, and when horse shopping I wouldn't look at anything with a short hip or very steep croup. I prefer lighter movement, which I think is why I find myself drawn to the TB-types. I want the horse to seem to barely touch the ground. As a drssage rider, of course I prefer dressage specific movement, etc.

I've been having a lot of fun riding some well trained heavier warmbloods in lessons and riding my mom's Friesian cross. I especially appreciate that the Friesian cross doesn't lose anything even with months off - it took her a long time to believe that dressage could be fun, but once she learned to relax her body and let her back move she suddenly loved it. They're all about self-preservation, and for her dressage feels good, so she retains very well! She is a little metronome and quite fun, but definitely not especially talented as she's not the result of a sport breeding program but rather someone who wanted the hair. She is VERY fun as a trail horse, though, which is why we bought her - just nice and steady and loves going out. However, riding these horses reminds me that really I just like horses who are very light. Not horses who are trained to be responsive - but who have that natural lightness in their being.

My filly really epitomizes my type (thus my finally buying her after following her progress for two years online) - she is a Trakehner with a large portion of "blood" with dressage movement and hte positives from being a purpose-bred WB. She's super smart like my OTTB I adore, too, though. She won't end up as small bodied as she looks in this picture, of course, because she was two and a few months when it was taken, but overall she is just lovely and very much my type. I say she looks like a whippet because something about her just reminds me of one.http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...29192247_n.jpg

On my 4th Appy since 1977. I LIKE the stubbornness, quirkyness. I also like the soundness, intelligence, and (generally) sane mine. My present one, however, is half-Arab, so he is UBER-smart combined with said Appy stubbornness/quirkyness + Arab..ummm...hyper-vigilence and flight instinct? Tons-o-fun!!! Aaargh. What was I thinking!?!?!?! But he IS beautiful and he IS talented, so I soldier on......

Breed aside, for me I like the sporthorse type. I'm tall so smaller breeds to not attract me for myself, though I guess I like all horses. I like a horse with length of rein, neck set on fairly high, a supple horse so nothing drafty or thick and slow. TB types fill my eye the best and I do feel it costs the same to feed an ugly horse as a pretty one, and I do love a good mover tht has style over a jump...with good mind, legs, and feet. I like a horse tht has a work ethic and equal amounts of whoa and go. (Not asking for much, eh?)
Funny thing is, all my horses ride the same, so perhaps it has as much to do with the relationship.

I had a mother and now daughter who are white -I cannot remember which horse did which they were so similar. They were different in personality, but rode the same.

Bluey, you just don't get it, my trainer brought the cows in for the cutting trainer on my (R line) Oldenburg gelding the other day (upper level dressage horse) he did a stellar job!! Thought it was a blast too. Although I agree about mini's and grand prix jumping!

Bluey, you just don't get it, my trainer brought the cows in for the cutting trainer on my (R line) Oldenburg gelding the other day (upper level dressage horse) he did a stellar job!! Thought it was a blast too. Although I agree about mini's and grand prix jumping!

I will fully admit to breed bias. I am a Morgan person through and through- I love all the GO! and heart they have. I want hot, athletic and bold in a compact sturdy package. That being said I do also have a young Arab gelding (my second breed of choice) and a Lusitano mare.
Personally for me, I do not care for stock horse breeds AT ALL and I'm pretty meh about most TB's and WB's.
Occasionally I ride a student's horse or hop on someone else's horse for one reason or another and, while it's fun to play with something different every once in a while, Morgans are still my go to breed.

“While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats.” Mark Twain

i just bought our 4th Appy ever. The best breed for me and my hubby. They do test you until they trust you, but once they trust you, they will do whatever you ask. Personality plus, intelligence, bravery.

But I confess I'm partial to Arab/Appy crosses. I'm 7 generations along in a a/a breeding program and I just can't find a reason to dislike them. They are smart, a big enough size that they'll suit anyone- they are averaging out about 16hhs across the board, so far they've evented, done h/j, endurance, trail ride and pony clubbed, and just been someones plain ole horse to love.

Are they olympic calibre - no - They are exactly what I dreamed of breeding - a sane, solid horse citizen with a lot of try, and some flash. Perfect for the ammy owners they are ending up with.

I think I'm on the right track, my babies are spoken for generally before they hit the ground.

Originally Posted by ExJumper

Sometimes I'm thrown off, sometimes I'm bucked off, sometimes I simply fall off, and sometimes I go down with the ship. All of these are valid ways to part company with your horse.

I love riding horses of all breeds. But, I would much rather have a horse with more forward than to spend my life picking and nagging at it. I understand plenty of people that prefer the opposite. I also like a horse that's pretty versatile since I enjoy dabbling and picking up different things and trying them.

So I personally have Arabians. But I have ridden and loved horses of a variety of breeds if they have my preferred characteristics. My Arabians have been more willing to let me know what they are feeling at any particular moment (read: sensitive) and I understand and appreciate that. Just a preference to that horses that are much higher tolerance and have a bit of a trigger when you hit the end of the tolerance.

But different folks for different strokes.

I look forward to being able to ride (or drive) and enjoy more breeds in my future years. I still have a bunch left to "check" off my lists.

More likely the Morgans have Norman horses in their ancestry, not northern Low Country horses like Friesians. The French brought their Normans and Cob Normands to Canada, which isn't far from Vermont, dontcha know. I've got a Morgan/Paint cross—a gorgeous head for a mutt horse, lovely eye, flamboyant coat, great balance, plenty of go, and snappy jumping style (goes eventing, hunters, jumpers, the whole bit. I even ski behind him in the winter).

The foundation horse of the Morgan breed, Figure (or Justin Morgan's horse) is said to have been out of a dam of Wildaire breeding. She was reported to be a Dutch horse.

Every man has a right to his opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts. Bernard M. Baruch